White House offers no details on gun-control strategy

Dec. 17, 2012
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President Obama pauses as he speaks during a memorial service Sunday night in Newtown, Conn. / Mandel Ngan, AFP/Getty Images

by Aamer Madhani, USA TODAY

by Aamer Madhani, USA TODAY

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WASHINGTON -- While pressure from the public and some gun-control advocates mounts in the aftermath of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, the White House hasn't laid out any specifics on how President Obama plans to tackle the scourge of gun violence that he declared has become far too routine.

The president spoke passionately about the need to take decisive action during his remarks at memorial services honoring the victims Sunday.

On Monday, White House spokesman Jay Carney said tackling the issue is a "complex problem that will require a complex solution."

"I don't have a series of proposals to present to you," Carney said. "It's a reflection of the tragedy in Newtown and its horrific nature that both elected officials and others are thinking broadly about ways we can move forward. That is a good thing."

Calls for Obama to take decisive legislative action have been piling up since the shooting Friday that left 28 people dead, including 20 children.

A citizen petition asking the White House to immediately press Congress for tighter restrictions on gun ownership has garnered more signatures than any other posted to the White House's website.

The petition, which was posted on the White House's We the People page, was filed soon after news broke about the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday. More than 151,000 people had signed the petition as of Monday afternoon.

"The goal of this petition is to force the Obama administration to produce legislation that limits access to guns," said the petition posted by someone who identified himself as Brian G. "While a national dialogue is critical, laws are the only means in which we can reduce the number of people murdered in gun-related deaths."

Petitions posted to We the People that receive more than 25,000 signatures are guaranteed a response from the Obama administration. The Obama administration started the page as a way for Americans to engage the White House and get answers.

Before the gun-control petition, a petition by Texas resident Micah Hurd calling on the White House to grant permission for the Lone Star State to peacefully secede from the union was the most popular posted on the site, receiving more than 120,000 signatures as of Monday morning.

Sunday evening, President Obama said the tragedy in Newtown marked a moment for action.

"Can we honestly say we are doing enough to keep our children safe?" Obama said to mourners in Newtown at a memorial service. "Are we prepared to say such violence visited on our children year after year is somehow the price of our freedom?"

Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., has said she will soon introduce legislation that would restore the assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004, and Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., has called for tougher background checks and a national commission on youth violence.

Carney declined to embrace any plans Monday.

"I'm not going to rule in or rule out specific proposals," Carney said.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an outspoken advocate for tougher gun laws, continued his criticism of lawmakers in Washington on Monday, charging that Republicans and Democrats have failed to act because of the gun lobby's pressure.

"I don't see any profiles in courage on the other side of the aisle," he said. "This is not a partisan issue, this is just a bunch of people who I think are cowed by the NRA."